Conveying apparatus.



No. 657,824. Patented Sept. ll, I900. R. T. JENNEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Appliation filed June 20, 1900.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet l.

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No. 657,824. Patented Sept.- ll, I900. R. T. JENNEY. CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application filed June 25, 1900.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheats-Sheet 2.

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No. 657,824. Patented Sept. ll, I900.

R. T. JENNEY. .CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application filed June 25, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Shgeta-Sheet 3.

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To all whom it may concern:

rrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT THOMAS JENNEY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

' SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 657,824, dated September 11, 1900.

Application filed June 25, 1900. Serial No. 21,536. \No model.)

Be it known that I, ROBERT THOMAS J EN- NEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Conveying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in conveying apparatus, which may be of the pneum atic class,wherea carrieris forced through a tube by suction, or of the class in which a continuously-moving cable or the like is employed to which carriers are hung as required, or otherwise of a class in which power is required to produce a pressure or operate a moving carrying device, and where consequently a saving of such power when the apparatus is not being used will be an economy, the object being to provide an improved system which can be worked to a high 7 degree of efficiency at a comparatively-moderate cost.

According to my invention I employ one or a series of electrical contact-breakers in the circuit of an electric motor, where such is the driving agent, such contact or contacts being acted upon by the carrying receptacles or devices employed in the system for holding the messages, parcels, or whatever the system is adapted to carry when such receptacles or devices are out of use, so that when no one of such receptacles is in use the power is not being used. In the case of a pneumatic-despatch system and as one means of carrying out the invention a series of holders may be provided at each station for the carriers, such holders breaking a spring-con tact in a batterycircuit which includes a magnet and armature or like device, the latter controlling a contact-maker placed in the motor-circuit, preferably through an automatic rheostat adapted to gradually supply the motorwith current. In this way as soon as a carrier is taken from the holder the contact in the latter is closed, thus operating the magnet, the armature of which closes the motor-circuit through the rheostat and starts the motor, which in this case will control a blowing-engine for producing the vacuum. As soon as the carrier is returned to its station it is replaced in the holder, thus breaking the batto the automatic rheostat at 1'7.

other applications will be readily understood.

In the drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic general view of the apparatus applied to a pneumatic conveying apparatus for stores or like places. Fig. 2 is a view, on a larger scale, of the motor and control apparatus. Fig. 3 is in part a section and in part an elevation, on a still-larger scale, of a few of a series of holders for the carriers. Fig. 4: is a plan of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a cross-section through one of the holders shown in Fig. 3.

l is an electric motor of any suitable form, having a pinion 2, by which the power is transmitted to gear-wheel 3 of a blower 4. The blower has an inlet-pipe 5 and an outlet-pipe '6. The inlet-pipe 5 is connected with the 'cashiers terminal 7, as shown in Fig. l.

The motor 1 is controlled by the apparatus hereinafter described.

8 8 are the wires from the main supply-current, attached to fuse-box 9, which is connected in turn to the switch 10 by wires 11.

From switch 10 a wire 12 is carried to the armature 24 above the magnetic coils 25.

Under the bar is a spring 26, which supports the bar 22 and keeps it from touching either the coils or binding-posts except when the magnetic circuit represented by wires 27 is completed. When. the coils 25 become magnetized, they draw down the armature 24, and

by so doing bring armature 21 into cont-act with the binding-posts l3 and 19. This contact completes the circuit of the electric wires When this is done, the rheostat acts automatically, and through its resistance gradually supplies the motor 1 with current through the Wires 29, and the motor starts and operates the blower 4. The motor continues to run until the magnetic circuitis broken,as will be described hereinafter, when the coils will no longer be magnetized, and spring 26 will raise the bar 22, thus breaking the electric circuit, when the motor will stop. As soon as the circuit is broken the arm 30 of rheostat 17 will antomatically return to its idle position.

The motor-blower and controlling apparatus are inclosed in box 31, which is preferably lined with asbestos or other insulation to prevent noise and insure safety.

In the circuit of w res 27 is a battery 32, and such wires pass to the carrier-holders 33 34 by branch wires 35 36 and 37 38, respectively.

It will be understood that instead of the mechanical rheostat 17 any other suitable device may be employed which will facilitate the starting of the motor and that instead of the battery 32 a low-voltage current obtained in any other way may be used and is hereinafter comprised in the the term batterycircuit.

The carrier-holders, as shown in Figs. 3, 4,

and 5, consist of tubes fitted in a frame 40, which in turn is fastened to base-board 41 by screws 42. The frame has a projection 43 inside of the tube, in the end of which is a hole through which the head of a pin 44 passes, and which pin is further guided by a plate 45, which is fastened to frame 40 by screws 46, and there is also a hole in the base 41, through which the pin 44 passes. On its upper end pin 44 bears a plate 48, held in place by screw 49, and at its lower end it carries a plate 50, fastened by screws 51. Aspring 52 rests on plate 45 and supports the pin 44. The base is cut out and carries a plate 53, fastened by screws 54. In this plate are holes 55, through which pass the pins 44. 56 is a binding-post to which is attached the wire 36. The wire 35 is connected to the pin 44 by screw 51. 58 are the carriers used to carry cash and messages through the tubes shown in Fig. 1. When these carriers'are in the holders, they rest upon the plates 48 and by their weight hold them down, together with the pins 44. While the carriers are thus in place the plates 50 are held away from the plates 53, while when the carriers are taken out the spring 52 raises the pin 44 until the plate 50 comes in contact with the plate 53. The meeting of these two plates closes a circuit with the wires 35 and 36 and starts the electric motor, as described before. When the carrier is returned to the tube, its weight presses down the pin 44 and breaks the contact between the plates 50 and 53, when the electric motor will stop, as before described.

The arrangement of pneumatic tubes shown in Fig. 1 represents a complete system, consisting of two salesmans or sending stations and 61 and one cashiers or receiving station 7. For clearness I will refer to these cashiers and sales stations. The cashiers station 7 consists of a terminal with discharge-door 62, the pipe 5 being the suctionpipe connected with the blower 4,as described. The tube 63 is the incoming tube from 60 and 61, the sending-boxes at such stations being marked 64 and 65. The outgoing tubes 66 and 67 have their despatching ends at 68 and 69. These ends are covered by the double door 70. Tube 67 runs to the sales-terminal 61 and discharges its carriers through the terminal at the discharge-door 7]. Tube 66 runs to station 60 and discharges its carriers through the terminal at the discharge-door 72. Tube 63 runs from terminal 61, as shown, to the cashiers terminal 7, and carriers inserted at 64 or 65 are discharged from terminal 7 at door 62. It will be seen that air entering at 68 passes along the tube 67 and through the terminal 61 and back through the tube 63 and terminal 7 and down tube 5 to blower 4. Air entering at 69,passes along tube 66 and through the terminal 60 and down into tube 67 and then along tube 67 through terminal 61 and back through tube 63 and terminal 7 and down tube 5 to blower 4. The double door is hinged in the middle between the two openings 68 and 69 and is so constructed that when it is closed down on opening 68 it leaves 69 open, and when it is closed down on opening 69 it leaves 68 open. Thus there is only one tube open at a'time; but whether the air enters at 68 or 69 it returns by tube 63.

I The complete operation of sending a carrier and having it return is as follows: Starting with the whole system idle and all the carriers in their places, the battery-circuit being broken at the carrier-holders 34 and 33 and the magnetic switch being open and the electric current off the motor, if the salesman at 61 wishes to send a carrier he takes one from the carrier-holder 34, and by so doing a contact is made of the battery-wires, as described with reference to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, and the magnetic switch is closed, as before described, the motor and blower start, and the air is started circulating through the tubes. This takes only a few seconds, and by the time the salesman is ready to send his carrier the motor has reached its speed. He inserts his carrier in tube 63 at sending-box 65, the air carries it through the tube 62 with force, and it is discharged from the terminal 7 at door 62. When the cashier Wishes to send it back, it is inserted at 68 and is forced along the tube 67 and is discharged from terminal 61 at door 71. The salesman after taking out his change replaces the carrier in its holder, which breaks the contact of the plates, as before described, and the motor stops. When a carrier is sent from station 60,the process is just the same except that it is sent from sending-box 64 and is sent back by tube 66 and discharged at 72. When more than one carries is sent, the motor starts with the first and stops when the last is replaced in its proper holder.

What I claim is 1. In a conveying apparatus, the combination with a motor forming the operating means of same, of means controlled by the carriers for stopping the motor when such carriers are not in use.

2. In a conveying apparatus, and in com bination, an electric motor, holding devices for the carriers of the apparatus, contacts in such holding devices and means whereby the car riers when placed in such holders will break the circuit so that the motor will not operate.

3. In a conveying apparatus, and in combination, an electric motor, a holder for each carrier of the apparatus, a contact-plate in each holder, which when the carrier is placed in the holder are separated, a circuit in which such contacts are situated, and means in such circuit for controlling the motor-circuit so that it is opened or closed as the carriers are in or out of the holders.

4. In a conveying apparatus, the combinalion with a blower, a motor for driving same, a system of pneumatic carrier-tubes, holders for the carriers of the system, contacts in such holders, a circuit in which such contacts are situated, and means in such circuit controlled by the making or breaking of same for starting or stopping the motor according as the carriers are in or out of their holders.

5. In a conveying apparatus, and in combination, an electric motor, a holder for the carriers of the apparatus, contact-plates in such holder which when a carrier is placed in the holder are separated, a battery-circuit in which such contacts are situated, a magnetic switch in such circuit, and a starting device in the motor-circuit operated by such switch so that when the battery-circuit is broken by the carriers the magnetic switch breaks the motor-circuit through the starting device.

6. In a conveying apparatus, the combination with a battery-circuit, ot' a contact making and breaking device in such circuit, a magnetic switch also'in the circuit, a motorcircuit in which a part of the magnetic switch is situated, and a mechanical rheostat in such motor-circuit.

7. In a conveying apparatus, a carrierholder, a movable piece forming part of same adapted to receive and to move by the weight of the carrier, a battery-circuit, and a contact in same adapted to be controlled by the weight of the carrier on the movable piece for the purpose described.

8. In a conveying apparatus, a carrierholder, a movable plate forming a seat for the carrier, a spring for supporting such plate, a pin carried by said plate, a contact carried by the pin, a contact carried by the holder, and a battery-circuit in which the contacts are placed and which is interrupted by the separation of the contacts for the purpose described.

9. In a conveying apparatus, a carrierholder, a base 41, a projection 43 in the holder, a plate 45, a pin 44: passing through both, a spring intermediate of the plate and projection, a head 48 for the pin, a contact 50 carried by the other end of same, and a contact 53 carried by the base for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT THOMAS JENNEY.

Witnesses:

EDWIN LONG, ALLEN PARRY JONES. 

